MAGA Supporters blame wildfires on DEI
California is battling a series of devastating wildfires as record temperatures and dry conditions fuel the flames, leaving communities in peril and authorities scrambling to manage the destruction. This week, multiple large fires are burning across Los Angeles, particularly in regions like the Palisades and Eaton Canyon. Thousands of acres of land have been set ablaze, and officials have issued urgent evacuation orders for tens of thousands of residents in affected areas. Firefighters are working tirelessly to contain the fires, but high winds and unpredictable weather have made this a near impossible task, with water supply dangerously low.
MAGA supporters and the far right have jumped to ignoring the real cause of the fires and instead blaming it on the so-called "DEI hires" Mayor Karen Bass and Fire Chief Kristin Crawley. Both are the first women to ever hold their respective positions, and the right-wing media have wasted no time attributing this environmental disaster to "wokeism" and the women working hard to keep their city safe. Newsmax host Rob Finnerty not only called the tragedy in California "death by DEI," but also explicitly mentioned the fact that Fire Chief Crawley is a lesbian. This is just the latest example of right-wing figures alleging liberals using their platforms to encourage DEI in workplaces and other professional environments leads to deadly consequences. The same argument was attempted during the back to back hurricanes in Florida late last year, when Republicans alleged the Democrats were creating hurricanes to attack right-leaning states in order to win VP Kamala Harris the election.
So far, five deaths have been reported due to the fires. As of Wednesday morning over 400,000 customers in Southern California lost power either due to high winds or providers turning off electricity in order to prevent more fires. Industries across LA have been interrupted, including their most lucrative: Hollywood. Disney, CBS, NBCUniversal and Paramount have all halted production of shows for safety concerns, and Universal Hollywood Studios closed the theme park for the day.
Experts warn that the increased frequency and intensity of California's wildfires are a direct consequence of climate change, with rising temperatures and prolonged droughts creating the ideal conditions for fires to spread rapidly. State officials are calling for increased funding for wildfire prevention efforts, including forest management, controlled burns, and building fire-resistant infrastructure. In the coming days, as the fires continue to rage, many are left hoping for relief from the worsening conditions, but the damage done to both the environment and communities may take years to recover from.
"Girls on the Rise," Amanda Gorman Releases Children's Book
Amanda Gorman, the youngest presidential inauguration speaker, first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate, and bestselling author has just released a children’s book called “Girls on the Rise.”
Illustrated by artist Loveis Wise, the vibrant colors and imagery beautifully showcase the empowering message of the book. In an interview with NPR’s Eric Deggans, Gorman said it was important for the illustrations to provide a safe space for her readers in order to discuss some of the heavier topics of the book which include gender identity and sexism.
While the book includes spectacular illustrations and story, the biggest message is this: girls are stronger when they stand together.
Facebook users can now call women "household objects" without consequence
On Tuesday, Meta announced it would be ending its third-party fact checking system, instead relying on users to correct misinformation through community notes. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and CEO of Meta, said in a video announcing the changes that the fact check system under the third party system resulted in too many errors and censorship.
Additionally, Meta made updates to their hateful conduct policy, allowing users to post speech on their platforms that was previously banned. According to the updated version of the policy, phrases referring to “women as household objects,” or “transgender or non-binary people as it,” had been crossed out, seemingly giving Meta users free reign to integrate these previously explicitly banned phrases into their content. In the former version, these phrases would be removed from posts under the hateful conduct policy.
Anticipating outrage, Zuckerberg also acknowledged the presence of increased “bad stuff” on Meta platforms, but stated that was a trade-off they were willing to accept in the name of “free speech.”
The changes come at a suspicious time as we prepare to inaugurate Donald Trump as President for his second term. He has been vocal about his distrust in and disdain for the media, so it comes as no surprise that his team has expressed their support of the media empire’s changes.
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